Catamenial bandage



w. voss 2,019,835

CATAMENIAL BANDAGE Filed March 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Shet l W. VOSS CATAMEN IAL BANDAGE Filed March 13; 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 13, 1933, Serial No. 660,578 In Germany March 24, 1932 6 Claims. (01. 128-289) The invention relates to improvements in catamenial bandages for use in absorbing the discharges of menstruation and has for its objects to provide an improved sanitary napkin which will be commodiously worn and easily handled and at the same time is characterized by a sure adaption to the parts of the female body to be protected, by a favorable hygienic effect, by the possibility of rapidly changing the absorbent pad, by a great simplicity of construction and by being enabled to be manufactured and sold upon the market at a nominal cost.

These and other objects will be realized according to the invention by using an elastic band for supporting the absorbent pad and by causing this band to pass freely through or along the absorbent pad. The elastic supporting band may have the form of a fiat tube for instance of rubber or it may consist of a flat strip of rubber. Furthermore the elastic supporting band may be formed and dimensioned so as to constitute also a moisture-proof layer enclosed in the pad or passing along the underside of the pad. In this way the necessity of employing a special impermeable lining is avoided whereby the construction of the sanitary bandage is simplified and becomes less expensive, and at the same time a further advantage is obtained consisting in that the impermeable layer i. e. the portion of the supporting band passing through or along the absorbent pad does not come in contact with the uncovered human body whereby a disagreeable rubbing and rolling action of the supporting band upon the most sensitive parts of the female body is avoided.

Another advantage of a sanitary bandage constructed according to the invention consists in that the springy action of the elastic supporting band becomes operative to its full extent when using the catamenial bandage, which also assists in making agreeable and hygienic the wear of the bandage. These advantages are also contributed to by the fact that, according to the invention, the pressure exerted by the supporting band of the bandage applied to the female body is distributed over a relatively large area whereby, at the same time, an undesired change in the position of the absorbent pad is prevented. Furthermore, by using the pad as carrier of the holding means serving for securing the supporting band in position, this band is freed from all parts reducing its elasticity and a simple and sure coupling of band and pad and an easy change of the pad are obtained.

In order to secure the supporting band in its relative position with respect tothe absorbent pad, according to the invention the pad is provided with one or more strips or covers adapted to be laid over the supporting band and to be coupled at their free ends with the pad by means of pressure-buttons or similar fastening means adapted for producing a fixed or detachable coupling. Alternatively, the connection of the band with the pad may be eiiected by providing a flap passing over the band and fixed to the pad by means of an adhesive substance or a sticking plaster. This flap may be constituted, if desired, also by an appropriately dimensioned piece of adhesive plaster for instance of the socalled leucoplast.

In order to realize an easy and rapid detachability while nevertheless sure connection between the supporting band and the waist-belt, according to the invention, the waist-belt may be provided with plugs or stoppers which are introduced into the tube-like open ends of the elastic supporting band and may have bosses, rough parts or other formations adapted to prevent the sliding of the plugs in the tube-like ends of the elastic band and to augment the coupling between plugs and band. The plugs may have a flat cross-section so as to be commodiously applied to the human body. They may also be formed as two scissor-like parts adapted to be automatically spread out by the action of a spring and to be closed by hand for introducing them into the tube-like supporting band.

The accompanying drawings show by way of example an embodiment of the sanitary bandage according to the invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of the whole bandage and Figure 2 a crosssection of the absorbent pad. Figure 3 shows a modification of the connecting means serving for coupling the supporting band and the waist-belt. Figures 4 and 5 show other modifications of the connecting means. Figure 6 shows a modified manner of securing the pad to the supporting band.

According to Figure 1 the rubber tube I which may possess, for instance, an oval or flat crosssection serves for supporting the absorbent pad 2, which may consist for instance of mull or gauze of cotton or W001 or cellulose and gauze or of other suitable'material. The flap or cover 3 which is connected at one longitudinal border to the pad 2 is laid over the supporting band I and, the free' edge of this flap 3 is loosely coupled to the pad 2 by means of the pressure-buttons 4. At the places, where the band I leaves the pad 2 a rivet or a. thread stitch 5 may be provided on using the bandage.

the pad opposite to the pressure-button 4 whereby an additional safety is realized against 2. lateral displacement of the band I with respect to the pad 2.

In order to facilitate obtaining a correct position of the band I relative to the pad over the whole length of the pad, the pad 2 may be provided with a longitudinal thread joint 5' from which the cover 3 goes out and against which the band I is laid. The joint 5 may be replaced, if desired, by a plurality of thread stitches applied to the absorbent pad 2. The fabric cover 3 overlapping the elastic band I and being strongly applied to this band prevents, when the bandage is used, the axial and lateral displacements of the supporting band I by the action of adherence so that the pad 2 is surely held in position upon the band I which at the same time is enabled to fully exert its elastic action.

The pressure-buttons 4 may be replaced by ordinary buttons or by hooks and eyes. Furthermore the two buttons 4 placed at the ends of the pad 2 may be replaced by thread stitches so that only one pressure button placed in the middle of the pad length will be required. By detaching the buttons 4 the band I can be easily removed from the pad 2 which then may be changed after use. The flat tube I is relatively large and has thin walls so as to obtain the most favorable application of pressure of the pad when The portions of the band I lying outside the pad 2 may be covered wholly or partially with an envelope I consisting of woven fabric or powder, thus avoiding the direct contact of the band I with the human body.

The ends of the tube-like elastic band I contain plugs 6 and I having a flat cross-section and consisting for instance of wood, plastic material or other suitable material. The plugs 6, "I are introduced into the tube-like band I to such a length that they are securely coupled therewith by friction, and in order to augment this coupling action, they may be provided with bosses 8. They are fixed by riveting or sewing or otherwise to loops 9 and I 0 which are slidably mounted on the waist-belt II provided as usual with a buckle I 2. By reducing the length of the band I which is to be chosen sufiiciently long and by introducing more or less the plugs 6, 1 into the tube-like ends of the band I, the operative length of the supporting band can be easily adapted to the dimensions of the human body. The pad 2 may be tapering at its end in order to facilitate at these places its adapting to the form of the human body.

As shown in Figure 3, the plugs serving for coupling the band I with the loops I 0 of the waist-belt II may be formed also as a scissorlike device. According to Figure 3 the plug consists of two parts I6, I! articulated one to the other by means of the bolt I5 and having curved ends. When introducing the plug into the tubelike end of the supporting elastic band I, the curved plug ends are approached one to the other, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3 so that the straight ends of the two plug parts I6, N form a certain angle. By approaching the straight plug ends one to the other the curved ends are spread out into the position shown by full lines in Figure 3 so as to extend the-elastic tube-like band I whereby they are secured against undesired escaping from the supporting band.

This spreading position of the plug parts I6, I1 is maintained by pushing a ring I8 over the straight ends of the plug parts. For the disconnecting of the plug from the supporting band, the ring I8 will be removed from the plug parts by pushing it towards the loop ID of the waistb-elt whereafter the plug parts I6, I1 may be brought into the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3 so as to be enabled to be drawn out from the tube-like band I. The straight ends of the plug parts are connected to the loop I!) of the waist-belt. Instead of the ring I8, other means may be employed for securing the spreading position of the plug parts for instance according to Figure 4 a spring 20 inserted between the two curved ends of the plug-parts I6, I I or according to Figure 5 a hook 2I attached to the straight end of the one plug part I6 and engaging in a pin 22 of the straight end of the other plug part IT.

The supporting band I may consist, instead of rubber, of woven fabric and rubber. The absorbent pad may be impregnated with disinfecting or odor-destroying substances or both destroying odor for instance salicyclic acid, woodvinegar, potassium permanganate or with oils having a strong pleasant smell for instance pineneedle oil. Furthermore the fabric cover fixed to the pad and overlapping the supporting band may be replaced as shown in Figure 6 by two or more small parts or strips 24 so that the underside of the supporting band I is practically uncovered. These strips 24' may consist also of adhesive plaster or attached to the pad 2 by means of an adhesive substance applied to their ends or to the corresponding parts of the pad surface.

The means securing the supporting band to the pad may be on the supporting band instead of I combining them with the pad. To this end, for

instance, the supporting band may be provided with loops, hooks or other fastening means engaging with corresponding coupling means attached to the pad or with the envelope of the pad itself. Also with respect to other details the invention may be realized in a manner different from the examples shown in the drawings.

What I claim is:

l. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic tube-like supporting band for said pad, means for securing the position of said band with respect to said pad, plugs adapted to be introduced and held into the ends of said tube-like supporting band, a waist-belt, and means for connecting said plugs to said waist-belt.

2. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic tube-like supporting band for said pad, plugs adapted to be introduced and detachably held into the ends of said tube-like band and formed so as to augment its adherence on the inner wall of said tubelikeband, a. waist-belt and means for coupling said plugs with said waist-belt.

3. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic tube-like supporting band for said pad, scissor-like plugs adapted to be introduced and detachably held into the ends of said tube-like band, means for securing the spreading position of said scissor-like plugs, a waist-belt and means for connecting said scissor-like plugs to said waist-belt.

4. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic tube-like supporting band for said pad, said band being formed so as to constitute a carrier and also an impermeable lining for said pad, means adapted for holding said band in position with respect to said pad and being detachably secured to said pad.

plugs adapted to be introduced and held into the ends of said tube-like band, a waist-belt, and means for coupling said plugs to said belt, said elastic band passing freely through said pad.

5. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic supporting band of impermeable material for said pad, means on said pad for securing the pad to the band permitting longitudinal adjustment of said pad relative to said band, said band serving both as a support for said pad and as an impermeable lining therefor.

6. A sanitary bandage comprising in combination an absorbent pad, an elastic supporting band of impermeable material for said pad, means on said pad for securing the pad to the band comprising a flap connected along one longitudinal edge to the back of said pad, means for securing the other longitudinal edge of said flap to the back of said pad to provide a passage for said band, saidband serving both as a support for said pad and as an impermeable lining therefor. 10

WALTER VOSS. 

